Open-Loop Simulation of Active Vibration Control of Electrically Controlled Rotor

Abstract

An electrically controlled rotor (ECR), also known as a swashplateless rotor, is an active rotor system that reduces the vibration load of the rotor through active control while achieving primary control by using a trailing edge flap system instead of a swashplate. In this study, the control effect of a 2Ω higher-order harmonic input on the vibration load of an ECR is investigated. First, an analytical aeroelastic model of the ECR is established based on Hamilton’s principle and an unsteady aerodynamic model with a flapped airfoil. On this basis, the use of higher-order harmonic flap control to reduce the vibration load of the ECR is investigated. The effect of the 2Ω higher-order harmonic flap control on the 2Ω vibration load of the example ECR is analyzed by sweeping the amplitude and phase of the higher-order harmonic flap control. The effect of higher-order harmonic flap control on the primary control of the ECR is also analyzed. The results show that the 2Ω higher-order flap deflection has the most significant control effect on the 2Ω vertical vibration load of the hub, that there is coupling between the higher-order flap deflection and the primary control of the ECR, and that the higher-order flap deflection disrupts the original equilibrium of the ECR.